Cleaning Ceramic and Porcelain Tile & Grout

Keeping your tile and grout free of dust and dry soil will minimize scratches, wear patterns, and grout soiling that can develop from everyday use. Sweep, vacuum, and dust surfaces regularly to remove loose soil and dust. When cleaning, use warm water, a clean, nonabrasive cloth or mop, and a neutral cleaner that is specially formulated for ceramic, porcelain tile, and grout. Don't use general purpose cleaners containing acid, bleach, or ammonia, as they could degrade the sealer or cause other damage to the tile.

Ceramic and porcelain tile is usually resistant to staining, however the grout may be a different story. Highly acidic liquids, such as orange juice, coffee, wine, tomato-based products, vinegar, and many soft drinks, will most likely “etch” the area, possibly leaving dull marks. Properly sealing the grout will give you time to wipe up spills to avoid staining, but may still not prevent etching.

Sealing Ceramic and Porcelain Tile & Grout

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are baked under high heat, which makes them very hard and often highly resistant to liquid stains. Available in a multitude of colors, textures, and shapes, tiles are often designed to mimic natural stone surfaces; however, they are easier to take care of if the proper care and protection techniques are used.

To protect your tile over a long period of time, a sealer can be applied to fill the pores on the surface. However, the grout lines between the tiles are usually very porous; therefore, they need to be sealed and maintained properly to prevent stains and discoloration. A wide variety of sealers are available, so ask your certified technician or call the office to find the right one!

Restoring Ceramic and Porcelain Tile & Grout

If you have old ceramic, porcelain tile, and/or grout in your home or office and would like to return it to like-new condition, call the professionals! We'll send a certified technician to provide a free estimate. The technician will assess your needs and recommend which products and techniques will help to remove tough soap scum, hard water deposits, grout haze, as well as heavy grease and oil stains.

Potential Issues to Watch For:

Sometimes tiles are improperly installed, which can cause problems not only with daily cleaning, but with professional care. Our Certified Technicians will inspect your stone, tile and/or grout before performing any work to let you know if there are any problems, such as poorly set tiles, cracked or loose grout or caulk, thinning grout, etc.. The most common issue is lippage (see the picture to the left), where the tiles are not evenly laid out on the surface.

Some issues can be taken care of by our technichians, ie regrouing or recaulking, othere like lippage we are unable to fix for you. We can, however, take necessary steps to clean and seal these areas if you are not ready to have a tile company fix them for you.

Regrouting & Recaulking

Caulk and grout in the tile and bathroom fixture lines can easily become cracked, dirty, or moldy after years of use, making your expensive tiles look tired and grimy.

The best way to keep grout looking fresh is to clean it regularly to prevent the build up of grime, dirt, and mildew; however, this can be hard to do in difficult to reach places in the kitchen, shower, or bathroom.

Regular cleaning can’t always prevent thinning or cracking in the grout or caulking, and sometimes these areas just need a deep professional clean – this is the time to give us a call! Professional cleaning and scrubbing of tile and grout.